Media Film Terminology

Monday 19th November 2018.

Terminology.

Camera work:

Establishing Shots -  Usually the first shot of a new scene, designed to show the audience where it's taking place. It is usually a very wide shot or extreme wide shot.

Low angle - A shot from a camera angle positioned low, anywhere below the eye line, looking up. Sometimes, it is even directly below the subject's feet. The effect of the low-angle shot is that it makes the subject look strong and powerful.

High angle - A shot where the camera looks down on the subject from a high angle and the point of focus often gets "swallowed up." High-angle shots can make the subject seem vulnerable or powerless.

Canted angle - This is also known as a dutch tilt, it's a camera shot in which the camera angle is deliberately slanted to one side. This can be used for dramatic effect and helps portray unease, disorientation, frantic or desperate action, intoxication, madness, etc.

Aerial shots - A shot taken from an airborne device, generally while moving. Shows everything around.

Elaborate camera movement such as tracks, steadicam or chance shots - The camera is mounted on a cart which travels along tracks for a very smooth movement. Also known as a tracking shot or trucking shot. Dolly Zoom. A technique in which the camera moves closer or further from the subject while simultaneously adjusting the zoom angle to keep the subject the same size in the frame.

Hand-held camera - Hand-held shooting is a filmmaking and video production technique in which a camera is held in the camera operator's hands as opposed to being mounted on a tripod or other base.

Point of view shots - A short film scene that shows what a characteris looking at (represented through the camera).

Editing:

Shot/reverse shot - A film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.

Juxtaposition - Two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.

Non-continuity ending - When shots are mismatched to disrupt the impression of time and space. This draws the audiences' attention to the process of cutting and disturbs the illusion of 'reality'. An example is the use of flash backs.

Crosscutting - An editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time, and usually in the same place. In a cross-cut, the camera will cut away from one action to another action, which can suggest the relation between two events (simultaneity) of these two actions.

Fast-paced editing - Fast cutting is a film editing technique which refers to several consecutive shots of a brief duration (3 seconds or less). It can be used to convey a lot of information very quickly, or to imply either energy or chaos.

Transition -  A quick way to change from scene to scene. Some less common transitions are:

• Wipe - A wipe is a type of film transition where one shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to another or with a special shape. ... An example of the "star wipe" can be seen in the Guiding Light opening sequences of the 1980s.

• Dissolve - A gradual transition from one image to another. The terms fade-out and fade-in are used to describe a transition to and from a blank image. Often used in a sad scene.

Post-production effects - They allow artists and designers to tweak the overall look and feel of the scene.

Soundtrack:

Music - Vocal or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.

Diegetic/non diegetic sound - Sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film. Sounds made by objects in the story, music represented as coming from instruments in the story space.

Sound effects - A sound other than speech or music made artificially for use in a play, film, or other broadcast production.

Sound bridge - A sound bridge is a type of sound editing that occurs when sound carries over a visual transition in a film.

Voiceover - A production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations. It's also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary.

Mise en scène:

Lighting (especially low key lighting) - Equipment in a room, building, or street for producing light.

A low-key image is one that contains predominantly dark tones and colours, the lighting would be dark with a lot of shadows.

Location/set - A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage. 

Costume and make-up - The clothing and overall appearance of a character or performer. Costume may refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a class, or a period. Costumes may be for a theater, cinema, or musical performance but may not be limited to such.

Props - A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or on screen by actors during a performance or screen production.

Casting and performance style - In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, a casting is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script or screenplay.

Blocking (The composition of elements within the shot) - Blocking a scene is working out the details of an actor's moves in relation to the camera. You can also think of blocking as the choreography of a dance: all the elements on the set (actors, extras, vehicles, crew, equipment) should move in perfect harmony with each other.